Happy Friday!

Last week I wrote a Friday Links post but then decided not to post. Because I wrote in anger after a discussion about the situation in Gaza. My basic point was that I can be horrified by what Hamas did at the beginning of the month AND I can also be horrified by what Israel are doing in Gaza.

I’m going to be candid, Israel was built on the back of two catastrophes. One, the ‘Shoah’ was done to them, the other, the ‘Nabka’ they did to others. I could also point out that the Israeli state came to being with terrorism (look up the Stern Gang – see where some of its leaders ended up) and one person’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter. None of that is an excuse or a justification for killing 1300 Israelis. However, Israel’s treatment of Palestinians is context, it’s ridiculous to think otherwise. I think we should also be clear that if we were Palestinians being treated as they are, we would probably also feel that we had good reason for what Hamas did. It’s not right, it’s human.

Frankly, I hold Israel to a higher standard because they have all the power here and they claim that they are more moral than Hamas, while they commit war crimes. 1300 Israelis and over 5000 Palestinians. You can argue that Israel doesn’t mean to kill anyone but people are dying anyway. Are Palestinian lives worth less than Israeli ones?

You will also note that I’m not using words like Jews and Muslims because I recognise that there are people on both sides decrying the actions of their ‘leaders’ Israelis speaking out again the bombing in Gaza and Palestinians speaking out against Hamas. If an elderly Israeli hostage can wish peace on her captives. Everyone in this conflict can try a bit harder to think, to not react with rage and just stop for five minutes.

Here are this weeks links, some of them are older…

Netanyahu Bears Responsibility for This Israel-Gaza War

When the fog of war envelops everything, we owe it to those who suffer to admit doubt

A real friend of Israel would be making it face up to some uncomfortable truths

The eyes of the world are on Gaza – but Palestinians are under attack in the West Bank too

Here’s how the UK can honour those suffering in the Middle East: by being decent ourselves

The Tories have created a new poverty – one so deep and vicious it requires Victorian vocabulary

Keir Starmer’s got his work cut out to fix Britain’s housing crisis. This is my six-point plan

Here’s the key question about Britain in 2023: why do we put up with this rubbish?

Higher energy bills forecast for UK households next year

Pay is finally rising faster than prices. But this won’t save the Tories

Coffee cremes, coins and selection boxes: chocolatiers revive classics in bid for bumper Christmas